The ultimate guide to fall/winter 2016 beauty trends

Fall/Winter 2016 Beauty Trend Report

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By: ELLE Canada

Fall Beauty Trend Report: Contouring comes to an end

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Image by: Elle Canada
By: Elle Canada
Source: Elle Canada

The tolerance for Facetuned-looking sculpted makeup has hit the tipping point. On runways such as Hugo Boss, Missoni and Alexander Wang, skin felt real – a look, as Diane Kendal for NARS Cosmetics described it, inspired by the girl who has been up all night. (Bonus: You’ll spend far less time in front of the mirror.) Apply BB cream or foundation on the T-zone only – too much on the cheeks is aging – and then buff into skin and set with a dusting of powder.

Fall Beauty Trend Report: Dark matter

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Image by: Elle Canada
By: Elle Canada
Source: Elle Canada

If a bold lip felt OTT for spring, the fall runways make a compelling case to try one now. Rich hues in near-black oxblood (Rodarte, Louis Vuitton), blue (Ohne Titel) and even black (Vivienne Westwood) were front and centre. “Lips are a point of power,” says Pat McGrath, creative design director for P&G Beauty, who did the black lip at Fenty x Puma. These super-saturated colours play well with lipliner; diffused shades make less of an impact. Prefer an uptown iteration of this trend? Swipe a layer of gloss overtop, which is what Peter Philips, creative and image director for Christian Dior Makeup, did at Dior.

Performance Art

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Image by: Elle Canada
By: Elle Canada
Source: Elle Canada

Makeup artists fell down a rabbit hole of colour, texture and pattern this season. “There’s a creativity in beauty now that feels more like art than makeup,” says Romero Jennings, M.A.C Cosmetics’ director of makeup artistry. Liner – like Tom Pecheux’s Picasso-inspired black etchings at Altuzarra or the angular iterations at Akris – was precise and deliberate. Peter Philips’ prismatic “posh girl goes to Burning Man” shadow at Fendi was customized for each model. The takeaway: Colour outside the lines at will.

The big return of gel

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Image by: Elle Canada
By: Elle Canada
Source: Elle Canada

Let’s be clear: This is not the artfully undone hair of seasons past. Hairstylist Paul Hanlon said it best backstage at Giambattista Valli, where he was creating an Ursula Andress Bond-girl look: “It’s very, very, very done hair.” See: the finger waves at Marc Jacobs, which Guido Palau, global creative director for Redken, told us are not exactly a DIY task. (“They are very precise and [require] a very difficult technique,” he said of the process that involves quickly manipulating gel-coated hair into waves before it starts to dry.) Up for the challenge? Jimmy Paul, editorial stylist for Bumble and Bumble, who created a messy version for Opening Ceremony, says to just relax: “If it’s imperfect, it looks unique.”

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Upgrade your braids...and buns

7 / 11

Image by: Elle Canada
By: Elle Canada
Source: Elle Canada

At DKNY, Eugene Souleiman, global creative director for Wella Professionals, paid homage to the understated glamour of New Yorkers with bound braids. “We’re using the white elastics so that the braid really stands out in the girls’ hair,” says Souleiman. “I think it makes it look really modern and current.” The remaining hair was sprayed with EIMI Sugar Lift to add texture and keep the style from looking too precious. Buns were also suddenly edgy: Models at Dior and Mansur Gavriel wore sporty low double chignons, and the topknot got twisted at Sacai.

Trading places

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Image by: Elle Canada
By: Elle Canada
Source: Elle Canada

Another option: Grab a friend and pull a hair swap, like Kendall and Gigi at Balmain. (You’ve always wanted to go blond, right?) These are wigs, so when it’s time to go back to your original shade, natural hair is healthy underneath.

Paint it black

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Image by: Elle Canada
By: Elle Canada
Source: Elle Canada

In keeping with fall’s gothic-makeup revival, nails were moodier than a PartyNextDoor playlist. At Rodarte, manicurists layered black polish over red nails for instant texture. Rich jewel tones were flaunted at Roland Mouret, Vivienne Westwood and Naeem Khan. Note: Keep nails short and squoval; stiletto nails + dark polish = a Wicked Witch of the West vibe. Not sold on solids? Like Stan Smiths and skinny jeans, nail art has become a perennial crowd-pleaser. There was plenty of ’90s inspo in the graphic shapes and neutrals at 3.1 Phillip Lim and DKNY. But this season also saw the return of abstract nail art, like the lavender and blue tiger prints at Kenzo, cowboy-inspired shapes at Manish Arora and floral nail appliqué at Antonio Marras.

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Shape-shifter

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Image by: Elle Canada
By: Elle Canada
Source: Elle Canada

To paraphrase Coco Chanel: Change your hair, change your life. The fastest way to get out of a hair rut? Put an accessory on it.

Pattern Play

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Image by: Elle Canada
By: Elle Canada
Source: Elle Canada

What's almost as good as a 2.55 bag? Tom Pecheux's quilted-eye ode to the iconic Chanel purse.